Breanne Davis, who was named board president during Tuesday’s Russellville School Board meeting, plans to hit the ground running with a focus on being progressive.

“We have a board retreat in November where we hope to identify a five-year plan for our district,” Davis said. “Out of that retreat, we will decide together what our goals will be. I personally would love to see foreign language offered in elementary schools across our district in the next couple of years.”

Davis, 30, has served on the board since 2009. She graduated Russellville High School in 2001 and got her bachelor’s degree in speech communications from Arkansas Tech University in 2007.

She and husband, John-Paul Davis, have been married eight years and have three children — Riley, 5, who attends kindergarten at Oakland Heights; Darby, 2 and Blaze, 1.

“I decided to run for school board four years ago because my oldest child was a year old and I thought it was the time to start being proactive in his education,” Davis said. “I noticed that most of the board members at that time no longer had children in the district and I thought it was important to have parents with school-aged children on the board.”

Davis said communication between the administration and parents, staff and community is vital and that the board’s creation of the communications coordinator position is an accomplishment she is proud of.

“The main focus of that job is to listen to our employees and create programs and ways to give back to them,” Davis said. “I can’t begin to imagine being an educator and dealing with the pressures they handle everyday. The board has a strong sense of appreciation for our teachers and staff and while we can’t lessen their load in the classroom, hopefully through this position we can add value to their jobs.”

Outgoing board president Morgan Barrett nominated Davis for the position, saying she has taken a leadership role that’s prepared her for the position.

“She’s passionate about the education system,” he said. “She wants to make sure the students have the best learning environment to put them in a position to succeed.”